7.01.2016

Super-famous movie star Scarlett Johansson attended the 2016 Gene Siskel Film Center Gala in Chicago on Thursday night, where she had some, ahem, interesting things to say about the state of Hollywood diversity.

The 31-year-old Avengers star, who's currently making headlines as everybody's most favorite white person playing a Japanese cyborg cop in the Hollywood adaptation of Ghost in the Shell, talked about her career and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' efforts to expand and diversify its membership.

"It's awesome to have a diverse group of people in an organization like that," Johansson said regarding the Academy's recent invitation to a record 683 new members into its voting ranks. "You need to have different points of view and different perspectives."

"Of course, it's also the studios who ultimately will make the movies, but I think when the audiences speak loudly and tell the studios what they want to watch, there's an ear there," she continued. "The audiences will drive the direction of what is green-lit and put on the fast track. I truly believe that to be true, especially now in the time of social media. The voices cannot be ignored."

Does anyone find this sentiment totally hilarious, coming from the star of one of the more notorious recent examples of Hollywood whitewashing? Because judging from fan reaction to Ghost in the Shell thus far, audiences are speaking up... and they do not want to see Scarlett Johansson as Major Motoko Kusanagi.

"So I tell people to keep asking, and to keep asking for diversity in Hollywood."